Nano Banana for Architecture vs. ArchiVinci

Short answer (October 2026): Nano Banana is Google's family of image models (Nano Banana 2, 2.1, Pro and Lite): you upload an image or describe one and edit it in conversation, on any subject. ArchiVinci is a browser app built for architects that turns a sketch, a photo or a 3D model view into a render that follows your image, and its engine menu also offers Nano Banana 2, so the choice is not either-or.

This guide compares Nano Banana for architecture with ArchiVinci on what matters in a project: what you upload, what each tool keeps, the controls you get, the output files, watermarks and commercial use. Google facts come from Google's own pages and were checked in October 2026.

Pick Nano Banana for free-form concept and mood images; pick ArchiVinci when a render has to follow a view of your design, with lighting buttons and area edits; and inside ArchiVinci you can run the same view on both engines. For a wider field, our list of the best AI rendering tools compares more platforms.

Which Nano Banana? 2, 2.1, Pro and Lite

"Nano Banana" is Google's name for the image models of its Gemini family. As of October 2026, Google's own pages list five of them:

Google's developer documentation now calls Nano Banana 2 a previous-generation model and recommends 2.1. Sources: Google's Nano Banana 2 announcement, the Gemini image generation page and the Gemini API image generation docs.

Is Nano Banana good for architecture?

For concept work, Google's own description fits: you upload an image, ask for a change in plain language and keep refining it in the same conversation, and Nano Banana 2.1 can take up to 14 reference images. For architects that covers mood variations, another facade material or season on a photo, quick concept images and pictures for social posts or competition stories. For interiors it edits a room photo from a written request; ArchiVinci's AI interior design module does that job with lighting buttons and optional object tags.

Google also lists limits in the Nano Banana 2.1 model card, and they matter for building views:

• consistency between the input images and the generated image is not always perfect;

• occasional confusion around spatial localisation, such as left and right;

• only partial instruction following when editing with masks or doodles;

• limited 3D reasoning and factuality.

These are Google's own notes, not a ranking. In practice they mean the same as for any AI image: check doors, windows, floor counts and proportions against your drawings before a client sees the picture.

Nano Banana vs ArchiVinci at a glance

Nano Banana facts come from Google's pages, checked in October 2026; ArchiVinci facts are the app's.

What ArchiVinci is and how it works

ArchiVinci is a browser app for architects and designers: the image is generated online, so no local GPU or render setup is needed, and an account is required. You upload a sketch, a photo or a screenshot of a view from any 3D, CAD or BIM tool (JPG, PNG or WebP up to 5 MB), choose a module such as Interior, Exterior, Edit, Floor plan or Masterplan, describe the look in a short sentence if you want, and run it. Every run generates a new image that follows your upload, in seconds. There is no style or room-type picker: materials, colours and furniture go into the prompt.

After a result you can download it as a JPEG, mark an area and change only that, or, with a plan, upscale it to 4096 px on the long side or animate it. Plans give up to four images per run, unlimited renders on ArchiVinci 4.0 and commercial use rights; they are on the pricing page. Results stay in your history for seven days.

Left: the uploaded image. Right: the result of the prompt "Modern house with white plaster walls, timber cladding on the upper floor, large glass openings, a lawn and a few trees." with the Daylight button, on the default engine of ArchiVinci's Exterior module.

For a step-by-step route from model to final image, see our guide on how to create photorealistic renderings with AI.

Can you use Nano Banana inside ArchiVinci?

Yes. As of October 2026, ArchiVinci's Render engine menu offers Nano Banana 2 as a partner engine, next to the default ArchiVinci 4.0 and other partner engines such as GPT Image 2 and Seedream 5.0 Lite. You upload your view once, keep the module and the prompt, and run it again on the other engine to compare the two results.

Two differences matter. Partner engines use coins, which come with every ArchiVinci plan (extra coins are sold separately); the 3 free credits of a new account work on ArchiVinci 4.0 only. And in Interior and Exterior, ArchiVinci 4.0 keeps the perspective, geometry and colours of your upload; on Nano Banana 2 the result follows your image and your prompt, so write in the prompt what must stay.

That gives a simple test for any project: render the view with AI rendering on ArchiVinci 4.0, run it again on Nano Banana 2, and keep the version whose openings and proportions match your drawings. For how these image models work, see our article on AI rendering algorithms.

Using Nano Banana and ArchiVinci in one workflow

A project usually moves from plan to model view to presentation. This is where each tool can sit:

1. Plan: draw the floor plan or upload the one you have in Floor Plan Maker, our free floor plan creator, where wall lengths and furniture dimensions appear as you draw, like in a CAD program, check it in 3D and in the walkthrough, and render the current view with ArchiVinci's engines.

2. Model view: export a screenshot from SketchUp, Revit, Rhino or any 3D tool and turn the 3D model to render on ArchiVinci 4.0.

3. Variations: run the same view on Nano Banana 2 from the engine menu, or use the Gemini app for free-form mood images.

4. One-area changes: mark an area in ArchiGPT, ArchiVinci's Edit module, and describe the change; only the marked area changes and the rest of the image stays as it is.

5. Delivery: download the JPEG and upscale it with a plan; client and marketing use needs an active plan.

How to ask for a building view

Whichever engine you use, the written request shapes most of the result. A few habits help:

• Ask for one change per request, such as the facade material or the time of day.

• Name the materials and the light: "white plaster walls, oak cladding, golden hour".

• Say what must stay: the camera, the window positions, the number of floors.

• Run the request more than once and keep the closest result: every run is a new image.

In ArchiVinci, keep the request short (the app warns above 200 characters) and use the lighting buttons for the light. For wording by building type, see our guide to AI architecture prompts.

Pros and cons by task

When to use Nano Banana

• Free-form images on any subject in one conversation, from mood pictures to social posts.

• Nano Banana 2 is listed as free of charge in the Gemini app; Google AI plans add higher limits and Nano Banana 2.1.

• Up to 14 reference images with Nano Banana 2.1.

• Keep in mind: the visible watermark on Gemini-app images and the limits Google lists for spatial localisation and 3D reasoning.

When to use ArchiVinci

• Modules built for architecture (Interior, Exterior, Edit, Floor plan, Masterplan), with lighting buttons and object tags in Interior and Exterior instead of a blank prompt box.

• ArchiVinci 4.0 keeps your view's perspective, geometry and colours.

• Area edits, Apply texture with 103 materials, Upscale to 4096 px with a plan, and no watermark.

• Nano Banana 2 and other partner engines in the same app.

• Keep in mind: it works from images, not model files such as .skp or .rvt; partner engines use plan coins; commercial use needs an active plan.

Key takeaways

• Nano Banana is Google's family of image models; as of October 2026, Nano Banana 2 is listed as free in the Gemini app and Nano Banana 2.1 is the newest version.

• ArchiVinci is built around architectural views: upload a sketch, a photo or a model view and get a render that follows it, with lighting buttons and area edits.

• You do not have to pick one: ArchiVinci's engine menu runs Nano Banana 2 too, so test both on the same view and keep the one that matches your drawings.

Try it in ArchiVinci

Upload a sketch, a photo or a 3D model view and describe the result in a sentence: ArchiVinci generates a new image that follows your upload. A new account starts with 3 free credits.

• Render a sketch, photo or model view: Render AI

• For a render you already have: Enhance renders with AI

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nano Banana free?

Google's Gemini image generation page lists Nano Banana 2 as available free of charge (October 2026), with higher limits on paid Google AI plans; Nano Banana 2.1 needs a Google AI plan in the Gemini app, and the page marks image generation 18+. Inside ArchiVinci, Nano Banana 2 is a partner engine that uses plan coins, while a new account's 3 free credits work on ArchiVinci 4.0.

What is the difference between Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro?

The original Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, August 2025) is what Google now calls its legacy model. Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) is Google's premium model for the most complex visual tasks; in the Gemini app, AI Pro, Plus and Ultra users can regenerate an image with it. Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) and Nano Banana 2.1 are the newer models: see the table at the top of this guide.

Does Nano Banana add a watermark?

According to Google's Gemini page, images made in the Gemini app carry a visible watermark and an invisible SynthID mark; Google's API documentation says all generated images carry SynthID. ArchiVinci adds no watermark to its renders.

Can I use the renders commercially?

For ArchiVinci, commercial use (client work, marketing or sale) needs an active plan; renders made with the free credits carry no commercial use. For Nano Banana, read Google's terms for the product you use, the Gemini app or the API, before an image goes into client or marketing work.

Do Nano Banana and ArchiVinci work with SketchUp or Revit?

Both work from images: export a view from SketchUp, Revit or other 3D modeling software and upload it. ArchiVinci does not open .skp or .rvt files, but its free SketchUp extension renders the active view or a saved scene with your ArchiVinci account; see our list of SketchUp plugins.